Forgotten
by sam spade-fitzgerald
Summary: Tori is upset when no one remembers her birthday. After being captured by Motodrone, it’s up to the others to find her in time. TorixBlake HunterxKelly
1. Forgotten Birthday

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the power rangers isn't mine.

A/N: This is a story I got after watching Power Rangers Ninja Storm. I didn't have a beta, and I honestly didn't do much work on it. I just needed to get this off my head. Please tell me what you think. Oh, sorry if it keeps switching tenses, I didn't mean too. I didn't write this in one sitting and it makes it hard to write sometimes. Also, I work at the hospital in the emergency department, so anything of that manner isn't realistic, I just made it up.

Tori struggled to pull in a raspy, gurgly breath. Her chest heaved in an effort to push the air to her lungs; but no matter how hard she tried, it still felt like she was suffocating. Her eyes fluttered shut as she struggled to keep her eyes open. It had almost been an hour, and she didn't know how much longer she would last. The draining was the most painful thing that had ever happened to her. The pain overwhelmed all of her senses. She could taste the metallic taste of blood in the back of her mouth, but she swallowed the tangy taste. Her head lolled down to her chest; it took too much of her energy to keep her head up.

She groaned as she felt the machine whirl faster, signaling that more energy had been stolen out of her body. Her entire life force was being slowly sucked from her body, one painful second at a time. Another tear rolled down her already tear stained cheek. The pain flashed for an excruciating second that seemed to last forever and Tori saw white lights. Her eyes fluttered shut again, but Tori forced them to stay open. She had to fight. She saw the faces of her fellow five rangers flash through her head and she managed to get her eyes halfway open again. Blood dripped in a steady stream out of the corner of her mouth as her eyes fluttered shut.

- -

_One Hour Earlier _

"No one realized it was my birthday." Tori whispered as one tear slipped out from behind her happy and uncaring mask. The guys were too busy at their sports. Dustin and Shane hadn't even remembered, and they were her best friends. Shane had pretty much ignored her giving her a passing glance as he skated by. Dustin had basically blown her off. Cam never forgot anything and he hadn't even said anything. He hadn't come out of his room yet. Tori had wished that when she saw Hunter and Blake they would remember that she had something about her birthday last week, but obviously they didn't. They had given her a passing hello between their races.

"I'm going for a run Sensei!" Tori yelled as she got up from her spot in the middle of the floor. She picked herself up from the blue cushion that she had been sitting on.

"Be careful Tori." Sensei said from his perch in his hamster house. He flipped down next too her. "Happy birthday." He said as Tori whirled to face him, her face full of complete surprise. A true smile graced her face for a moment before the sadness set back in.

"Thanks Sensei." Tori bowed slightly. "Glad that someone remembered." She gave him a glimpse of a smile, but Sensei saw right through the act by the pain reflected in her eyes. Pain and sadness radiated from her in tsunami waves. She waved behind her back as she shot off through the woods, trying to clear her head. Sensei watched her go with a heavy heart. He knew that the boys had been extremely busy lately, but they should have remembered their best friend's birthday.

- -

Tori sprinted up the hill until she broke free of the trees and was staring up at the sun. She let several more tears fall from her eyes as she watched the beautiful, puffy clouds float lazily in the sky. They didn't have to worry about being forgotten. She bet that if she disappeared, they wouldn't even remember. She wondered if she could run far enough away to get away from the pain and hurt of not being remembered.

"Aw, a pretty little ranger all by her lonesome!" Motodrone appeared out of no where. Tori whirled in surprise, twisting her body down into a ninja defensive position. She put her hands up quickly to defend her face. "Do you really think that you can beat me all alone?"

"What do you want from me?" Tori asked in a loud, boisterous voice. She tried to reach for her morpher, but Motodrone was suddenly standing in front of her. He let out a horrible growl and Tori froze in fear.

"Not much, just your energy and life force." Motodrone grabbed her arms in a death grip and Tori couldn't get out of it. She punched him as hard as she could, but he didn't even seem to flinch. Motodrone tightened his grip and suddenly they were in an abandoned warehouse.

"You aren't going to win, you know that." Tori yelled in an angry voice. Motodrone shoved her roughly into a chair and strapped her arms into metal restraints. He locked one around her chest and then several more around her thighs and ankles. Tori was trapped, no matter how much she shoved and pushed against the restraints. She let a small growl of her own out when she realized that she was on her own, and no one had any idea where she was. No one would even miss her. Tori closed her eyes and pushed the tears back as she realized that the guys really didn't care about her.

- -

"Hey Sensei, have you seen Tori?" Dustin said as he strolled casually into the command center. He was oblivious to anything being wrong. He didn't even realize that he had missed a very important event.

"I do believe that Tori was upset and went for a run." Sensei said as he bounced from no where. He was hoping that Dustin would have a memory spark, but he didn't seem to remember that he had forgotten something important.

"What was she upset about?" Dustin said, scratching his head. He hadn't forgotten anything that he could remember.

- -

"Think very hard Dustin." Sensei prodded him as he came to a rest on his shoulder. Dustin turned to look into Sensei's all knowing eyes, but nothing triggered in his memory.

"Oh no!" Dustin slammed his hand into his head. "Oh Tori, I was so rude earlier! I had my head focused on my race and I didn't think about it. I can't believe I forgot her!" Sensei jumped onto the table before him. Dustin gave him a quick bow before he ran out of the command center.

- -

"This is going to hurt." Motodrone slammed a helmet onto Tori's head and pressed a large red button that rested just out of Tori's reach. "Prepare for a very draining day." Tori let out a loud groan as a searing pain raced through her veins. Her body jerked as the drain started to steal her energy. Tori threw her head back, trying desperately to get the device off, but it didn't budge. The pain ran bright white through her vision and she saw stars. Tori let out another groan, pain was coursing through her body like never before. Her eyes rolled back, but Tori fought the unconsciousness back. She was afraid that if she went to sleep she wouldn't wake up.

- -

"Shane! Blake! Hunter!" Dustin yelled into his morpher as he sprinted through the woods area where Tori liked to run when she needed to clear her head. "I need you to get here as fast as you can." He didn't care how frantic his voice sounded. He was scared that Tori did something stupid. He couldn't believe that he was such a stupid prick that he forgot her birthday. What kind of friend forgets his best friend's birthday. She had always made him feel really special on his birthday.

"What's wrong?" Shane streaked in a few seconds later, followed closely by Hunter and Blake. "You sounded really urgent!"

"Yeah, what's up?" Blake added. He stepped forward.

"Think Shane, what's today?" Dustin said as he walked quickly to where Shane was standing. He put his hands on Shane's shoulders.

"Uh, May 14?" Shane asked, scratching his head, looking confused. Suddenly it dawned on him. "Oh, no! Tori!" He pushed Dustin away and slammed his hands into a tree. "She probably thinks that we forgot!"

"What are we missing?" Hunter asked, stepping to where Dustin and Shane were standing.

"Tori's birthday is today." Shane whispered. "I completely forgot." He sunk down to the ground. "We need to find her." He said, looking up desolately at the others.

"Let's split up." Hunter suggested. Dustin pulled Shane to his feet.

"Keep it together. We need to find her." Blake said, placing a commanding hand on Shane's shoulder. "Hunter and I will go this way. Dustin, take Shane and go that way." The other three nodded and sprinted off in opposite directions.

"TORI!" The four yelled over and over. They raced through the woods, making sure that they didn't miss any crevices or caves.

"Guys, you need to get back to Ninja Ops immediately." Cam typed furiously as he called for the guys over their morphers. The two brothers and Shane and Dustin shared a terrified glance before streaking back to Ninja Ops.

"What's wrong Cam?" Shane asked first. They had sprinted through the waterfall entrance.

"Tori, she's in trouble, deadly trouble." Cam twirled around in the chair. He had a grim look on his face. "We have to get to her, right now." Cam said, he was so scared they would be too late.

"Where is she?" Blake pushed around the others to look at the screen. A blinking blue dot was flashing over an abandoned warehouse by the pier. "Let's go!" Blake turned to run out of Ninja Ops, the others following quickly.

- -

"We need to get Motodrone out here." Shane whispered. The others nodded. "Blake and Cam, you get Tori. Dustin, Hunter, and I will take care of him." Everyone saw the glimpse in his eyes and knew exactly what he meant. "Good luck." It killed Shane not to save his best friend, but Cam could probably figure out the machine and Blake would do everything in his power to save the one that he loved.

"Let's go." Blake said and turned to crouch outside the building. He felt Cam next to him a second later. He could hear the others taunting Motodrone, trying to get him to come out. They could hear the sounds of explosions and bikes revving and then it faded away. "In here." Blake jumped over the crates and sprinted into the building. They hurried through the warehouse, throwing caution to the wind as they yelled for Tori. Tori was nowhere in sight.

"B-Blake?" Blake whirled as he heard a weak and faint reply. He turned in a quick circle; his eyes wide. He skidded around a column of crates and saw her. He felt his heart stop. His mouth dropped into the pit of his stomach as he fell to his knees beside her; the skin peeling back from his knees beneath his ninja uniform.

"Tori, oh Tori." Blake gently cradled her into his arms. "What did he do?" She had been thrown haphazardly on the floor, her arms tied roughly behind her back. The wire had sliced her wrists open in numerous places, but that wasn't the worst. She was very lethargic and her eyes were almost fully closed.

"En-energy." Tori breathed out in a sigh. Her eyes flickered shut, and this time they stayed shut.

"Tori!" Blake placed on hand on her cheek and tapped her face. She didn't respond, her head rolling limply back until it rested against his chest. "CAM!! I FOUND HER!" Blake screamed and picked her up, trying his best not to jolt her.

"Get her back to Ninja Ops, now. I'll meet you there." Cam raced by Blake and disappeared in a streak of green. Blake nodded and shifted Tori so that her head was supported in the crease of his elbow.

"Sensei, can you please transport me to Ninja Ops?" Blake asked, scared that if he streaked, it would hurt Tori further. He looked down at the unconscious blond. She was still the most beautiful thing that Blake had ever set eyes on. He wished that he could free on of his hands to wipe away the blood that had pooled in the corner of Tori's mouth and ran down her face. Her eyes had sunken back into her face and her cheekbones stuck out. Her entire body was a ghastly shade of white.

"Yes Blake." A few seconds later Blake felt the world flicker and then he was in Ninja Ops. "Lay her on the table!"

"Please, Sensei, you have to help her!" Blake said as he carefully placed her on the table in the middle of the command center. He took special care not to let her head slam back into the table. Her eyes flickered for a moment as Blake broke contact with Tori, but stopped when he clutched her hand, squeezing to see if he got a reaction.

"She's not breathing!" Cam exclaimed in horror as he hooked several electrodes to Tori's chest and the machine let out a loud, flat beep….

A/N: Hope you are intrigued. Now, click on that button and tell me what you think.


	2. Criss Crossed Cuts

Forgotten – Chapter 2

A/N: I have never gotten this many reviews for one of my stories, so thanks a lot for reviewing, adding me to story alert, author alert, or adding me or my story to your favorites! This was supposed to be updated sooner, but the flu bug made its way around the school and after having a severe case of the flu for two weeks, I got better and went back to school. Three hours later my fever spiked back up and I relapsed with the flu. Let's just go with the tubes being shoved down your throat,.. much more pleasant to watch on ER. But, I'm doing better, but the makeup work is killing me. Well, I also just realized that Sensei totally doesn't have a single line in this chapter.. oh well.

Pinkranger888 – thanks for being the first too interview my story!!! It's was so cool to see you pop up because you were the first, and special. I know, how dare they forget their birthday; I would be livid if this happened to me.

CMT1992 – it means a lot that people think I am going a great job.

earth-fairy2006 – thanks so much for the nice review. I'm glad that you are getting into the story and that you like it at all! It does hurt when no one remembers your birthday, so I understand where you are coming from.

jean – I am trying to get this story updated regularly

Katestar98 – I am happy that you think my story will be a success. I am trying to keep this story running even though school is in the way.

Fire In The Ice – wow, thanks for subscribing. I don't have very many subscribers, so that was cool to see pop up in my email! I am posting more right now, so enjoy this and any other story of mine you like. Hopefully I will start posting more of the stories that I have written and are saved in Microsoft Word on my computer. That is, if I don't get sick again.

"Do something!" Blake screamed, his voice cracking as his eyes widened. His intense fear turned into full panic. He watched as Tori's lips started turning a sickly shade of blue. Blue was her favorite color, the color of her favorite shirt. Blue was the color of her favorite swim suit, but it wasn't supposed to be the color of her lips. Her lips were supposed luscious and a rosy red that stretched into a smile. They were the perfect lips for kissing and smiling, and Blake wanted a chance to let her know just how he felt. Blake bit his lip as he tried not to think about not having a chance to tell her that. He couldn't believe he hadn't ever taken the opportunity to tell her that she was way more than his best friend.

"I'm going to intubate her." Cam said as he made a split second decision. He was just the tech guy, the one who hadn't really made the team. He pulled out a shelf roughly in the cart he had pulled over to the bed. The cart was full of medical supplies for the entire team. He snatched a pair of gloves and snapped them quickly over his hands. He took Tori's head in his hands and carefully grasped her face in his hands. He pried her frozen mouth open and sprayed her throat with a numbing spray.

Cam took a deep breath and started sliding the tube down her throat. It hurt his throat when she didn't even try to struggle. Her mouth was completely relaxed as he slid the tube down and made sure the air was going into her lungs. He was terrified that he had done it wrong. He had never had a need to do one before. Cam taped the tube into place and hooked the tube up to an oxygen tank.

The two anxiously watched as the line still saved flat. Cam jumped up and slammed his fist twice on her chest. He watched as the lines started spiking on the readout from the machine at regular intervals. His knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground. He let in a huge gulp of air, realizing that he was light-headed from the lack of oxygen. It felt like his heart was plummeting, the pain eating at his soul. The hiss of oxygen rushing to and from her body was the most reassuring sound he had heard in his entire life. It was like the ocean, her element, calming and reassuring.

He took in another deep whoosh of air. He started attaching more things to her head, monitoring her brain activity. He carefully placed an IV in her right hand and taped that down. It had been easy to find a vein in her paper thin skin. Her veins stuck out like tiny rivers. Lifesaving fluid started to drip into her body, flooding her system with antibiotics. Cam hoped they weren't too late to bring Tori back from the brink. Blake shuddered as he looked down upon Tori. He felt like his heart was breaking, that he had let this happen, he had forgotten her birthday. Blood wasn't supposed to be on the outside of you, it was supposed to keep you alive. He laid her arm down and pulled the sleeve of his hoodie down over his hand. He wiped the blood that had run over her chin and down her neck off. Cam handed him a wet towel and Blake took it gratefully. He made sure that he didn't rub too hard. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when the blood had been removed.

Cam started to bandage her wrists, realizing that there were deep cuts criss-crossing where the wires that had held her had cut her. He hated every time that the needle pierced her skin, and he hated that he was the one doing this. He wished that he could just wake up from this nightmare. He wanted to have his best friend back. She was the only one who seemed to respect him. Tori believed in him and she seemed to understand that it was okay to still be part of the team and not be a ranger. He made sure that the final bandages weren't too tight.

"Will she be okay?" Blake spoke in a hoarse whisper, turning his pleading eyes onto Cam. "She looks s-so d-dead." Blake's voice broke on the last two words. He brushed her hair from her face. She was so still, her chest rising and falling systematically with the respirator. Cam tried to busy with checking her vitals before he answered. He didn't want to have to look at Blake. He really didn't want to have to tell Blake that Tori might not be there tomorrow, that she might not ever wake up. Cam didn't know if he could say that to Blake's face.

"Blake, I don't know." Cam mumbled, his eyes looking anywhere except at Blake. He couldn't say that Tori was going to most likely going to die, and even if she did wake up, she might never be the same. It broke his heart to see his sister like that. She couldn't even breathe on her own. She was completely dependent on them right now. She was the one who was supposed to hold them up, not the other way around. She was the only girl, the only one who all the guys could complain to and trust. Her brain function barely registered. He wasn't sure what to tell Blake. Cam didn't know if Blake could handle that right now.

"Is she going to die?" Blake managed to choke out, and Cam forced himself to look up. He stared into Blake's eyes. He couldn't seem to look away. Cam could see the burning fire inside, the guilt, it was eating him alive. Cam could tell that Blake was blaming him. His eyes were like burning coals, the fire raging inside.

"I don't know." That was the only reply that Cam could give. He wanted to leave Blake with a little hope, but not enough to make him go insane if something bad did happen. "We have to hope that medicine is enough." Cam bowed his head slightly, hoping Blake could understand. He heard a sudden, but quiet gush of wind, and when he finally made himself look up, he was all alone. He knelt next to Tori's head, her dark eye lashes standing out behind the starkly pale face. He sighed, brushing back her river-like blond hair. The respirator was still breathing in and out for her, her brain waves still faint and barely noticeable, but she was still alive.

"TORI!" He heard the shouts of the other three as they sprinted into Ninja Ops. They were slightly breathless, and Cam could see several bruises and cuts scattered in various places on their body. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw her. Dustin's eyes widened and he walked over on wobbly knees and collapsed next to Tori. He snatched her hand up and pressed it too his cheek. His eyes were wide, his face gone completely white.

"What happened to her dude?" Dustin said as he looked up and Cam could see the tears glinting in his eyes. Cam didn't even care that he had been called dude. Dustin touched her stone cold cheek and shuddered, Tori was his best friend, he didn't like this look on her. She was the sister that he didn't have, but he wished she was. He wanted her to wake up, wanted her to be angry at him. Dustin just wanted something, anything to see that Tori was going to be okay. He knew he was supposed to be the one to provide comic relief, but he couldn't even think of anything remotely funny right now. The only thing he could see was the image of Tori burned into his mind. The image was branded into the side of his brain, and he couldn't believe he had forgotten her birthday. It was all his fault. He should have remembered.

"Motodrone took her energy." Cam said. He readjusted her oxygen flow again, wanting to make sure that she was getting all the air that she needed. He squatted down by her head while Hunter and Shane, white as sheets, drifted towards the makeshift hospital bed. They both sat down near her feet. Their hands touching her legs cautiously, but like they just needed to know that she was still alive, she was still there, in some way or another.

"Where's my brother?" Hunter managed to stammer out after a few minutes of anguish filled silence. Each member was reflecting on how this was their fault and they shouldn't have forgotten her birthday. They were wishing that she would sit up and be fine. Cam knew that any of them would lay down in an instant and take her spot. Hunter's head jerked up as he realized that Blake was no where to be found. Hunter knew how his brother felt like Tori and couldn't think of a reason for why he wouldn't be there.

"He needed space, I let him go." Cam said, not paying attention to his careless words. He hadn't thought about the repercussions when he had let him streak away. He internally smacked himself as his head shot up. His eyes connected to Hunter's, his eyes full of terror.

"Alone?" Hunter's voice had raised several octaves, a frantic tone to it. It was killing him to watch Tori like this, but Blake, that would seriously kill him. The other two's heads snapped up when they realized what could have happened to Blake by now. "When did he leave?" He glanced around, hoping that Blake had snuck back in and they had been too preoccupied to notice. Ninja Ops was quite open and simplistic, and Blake wasn't hiding in the computer chair.

"Just a few minutes before you came." Cam said in a low whisper. He couldn't seem to make eye contact with Hunter. If anything happened to Blake, it would have been his fault for letting Blake leave alone. He looked at the pullout from the heart monitor reading. Her heart was beating in a steady, almost mechanical rate. Hunter got up, wobbling slightly as he got to his feet. "Don't go alone." Cam spoke, frantically, as Hunter started to walk out of Ninja Ops. He couldn't think about having another team member being alone. Shane got up quickly and with a quick glance at each other, they ninja streaked away. The two left remaining watched the two guys go with a sinking heart.

"Please keep fighting." Shane whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair, shuddering at the bloody streaks that were highlighted throughout her hair. Her eyes were still sunk down into the back of her school and she still looked so dead. Cam drifted away to look at the computer security. He wanted to make sure that nothing was amiss out in the city. Even though their sister was lying unconscious, they still had to protect the city. He hoped that Lothor would leave them alone, even just for a few hours. He wanted to make sure that if Tori didn't pull through, well, they had a chance to say goodbye.

"At least there isn't any trouble in the city." Cam commented as he made sure Cyber Cam was watching the feeds before walking back over. He winced as he realized that he had probably just jinxed them. He crouched down near Tori, wishing she would open her eyes and ask what they were doing. Sit up and laugh it all off as a huge joke, but Cam knew she wouldn't, at least, not any time soon. Dustin was still just staring at Tori, looking almost comatose. Cam kept watching the door, trying to think positive. Cam was trying to pull in deep breaths, but they came in quick, shaky gasps.

"Cam!" Hunter had Blake on his back, and Blake didn't look good. "Help us!" Cam sprinted to where Hunter was, and then gasped, Blake's back was slashed open, and blood was pouring out, running in small rivers down to the floor, where a small puddle had already formed.

A/N: Don't hurt me if this was bad…. Please review and let me know what is going on.. thanks in advance.

p.s. i promise the next chapter won't take as long because I'm not sick anymore.


	3. Quiet Before the Storm

A/N: It was a really pleasant surprise to receive so many nice reviews for the previous chapter. So thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you for my new amazing beta reader pinkrangersforever.. i love you SO much!

* * *

Wolfgirl77769 – thanks so much for the review... and I hope for another one this chapter! I hope you enjoy this one as well!

Pinkranger888 – aw, sorry, I didn't mean to make you so sad, but I was trying to make it seem realistic... but you gotta read to find out what happened to Blake : ) but it does involve Hunter being very sad .. I hope you review again, and thanks.

CMT1992 – I'm glad I'm not sick too, trust me. But I'm trying to churn out chapters as quickly as possible… and thanks for the review.

Vampire's Heartache- I would have updated much sooner, but alas, I wasn't really conscious much for the last month. so, look for quicker chapters and thanks for the review.

Fire In The Ice – wow… that was a really nice review : ) I'm not going to kill Blake, but I liked the idea of flashbacks, so I included a few for you, but the next chapter will also have a few for you :) . Hospitals really suck and I definitely don't plan on returning anytime soon. Hope for another review from you though, it made me feel really good :)

JuseaPeterson – it was a joy to get your reviews, they made me laugh : ) and I like Tori/Blake, but I wanted her to have her other relationships. I loved how the second one opened (review). I love them all, and I think that they are all cool, so I wanted to show their relationships. And I am better now, but still only having to attend half days at school, which is kind of cool. :D

* * *

_Tori snatched Blake's shoes from his feet, and took off running down the beach. She held them triumphantly above her head, stumbling as she ran over the small piles of sand. Tori was laughing so hard, she didn't see Blake jump up and sprint after her. Suddenly, she found herself very wet with Blake standing and laughing over her. She scrunched her nose as she wrung her hair out. Blake had tackled her, sending her flying into the white surf of the ocean. Tori sat up in the surf, splashing at Blake while laughing, laughing too hard to be angry at him._

_Tori squealed with surprise as another freezing wave crashed over her head, her mouth dropping open in shock as she spit out the sour tasting water. Hunter, Shane, Dustin, and Cam laughed from their spots on the beach, glad they weren't in their shoes. The four couldn't wait for the day when the two just gave into their feelings and admitted to each other that they liked each other._

_Blake grinned triumphantly, laughing at her pouty face, and held out a helping hand. Tori took it, then grinning deviously, pulled him down beside her. The other four burst out in a new round of laughter, falling back onto the beach, completely content to laugh away the free afternoon. It was nice to have an opportunity to just relax. Sensei had basically thrown them out _

_Blake came up spluttering and waving his arms, surprise written all across her face. Tori fell back into the surf, giggling, before struggling to get to her feet, pulling Blake back up with her. They screeched together as a large wave washed them both back into the surf, knocking their knees out from under them._

_The others on the beach laughed again, watching the two throw their hands up as they went flying backwards into the ocean. The two looked at the other after the wave passed and started laughing again, seaweed was all over their hair. They helped each other pull it out, leaving it for the sea to take back out._

_The two slowly made their way towards where the four boys were sitting, their soaked clothes made their movements sluggish. They all turned their faces to the sea, taking advantage of the pleasant sun. Tori and Blake wrung out their clothes before falling back and letting the sun wash over them as well._

Blake let out a cry of agony as he was sucked away from his pleasant remembrance of the day. Someone was yanking, pulling on his back, and it felt like a hot poker was digging around in his back. It hurt more than any of the other injuries he had suffered as a ranger. He tried to swat at whoever was hurting him, but someone grabbed at his hands, holding him firmly, but gently in place. He started to struggle, wondering if he had been kidnapped. He wasn't going to just go down without a fight. He started to struggle harder, trying to ignore the pain.

"Blake! It's okay. You're in a safe place." Blake calmed, stopping his struggles as he recognized Hunter's voice. He had learned from a very young age that he could trust Hunter. He knew that Hunter wouldn't lie to him. He tried to keep as still as possible and blinked as he forced his eyes half-open. "Hey." Hunter's voice was flooded with relief. Blake wondered what was going on, he couldn't remember why his back felt like a lion had sharpened its claws on it.

"Wh-What happened to me?" Blake's voice croaked as he tried to sit up, but the pain flared up again, and he sank back onto his stomach again with a pained groan. He tried to see what was wrong with his back, but he couldn't stretch his neck that far, not without the pain flaring again. He just looked at Hunter, hoping for a good explanation.

"I don't know, you tell me? Your back is pretty messed up." Hunter knelt down so that he was eye-level with Blake. He laid a restraining hand on Blake's back, knowing his brother had to stay as still as possible to avoid damaging his back more. "We found you face down in the ground." Blake managed to clear the remaining fog from his eyes to see Hunter's worry filled eyes. Blake felt like he had been asleep for a really long time.

_It's all your fault. _Motodrone's taunting voice rang through Blake's head. He stiffened and blinked to try to clear the tears that had sprung into his eyes. He couldn't believe that he had failed Tori that much, he had let her get hurt, and he had forgotten her birthday. "I, um, I don't remember." The pain of failure was overwhelming. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten, he loved Tori, and he had forgotten the one day of the year where she felt special. He prayed to God that he would get the chance to tell her how he really felt. He wouldn't screw it up ever again.

"That's okay." Hunter's eyes told a different story and Blake knew that his brother knew that he was lying. "We'll talk later." He looked deep into Blake's eyes, trying to convey that he was there for his little brother. Blake gave him a half-hearted smile, and let his eyes flutter shut. Second later, his breathing evened out and Hunter stood up, worried thoughts running through his brain. He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was supposed to be. He wanted to be able to tease his little brother again, and race him, not watch him suffer and be in pain. He would gladly take the pain from him if someone offered him the chance.

"_Blake!" Hunter yelled as he ran towards where his brother was teetering on the edge of the a high cliff. They had been having a fun, brotherly race when Hunter had heard his brother's cries of happiness turn into screams of terror and fear. He had raced to where his brother had been ahead of him by about a hundred yards. He had let him out of his sight for a few seconds, and Blake had gotten into trouble. He could get seriously hurt, or die, and it would be all his fault. "Hang on!" Hunter screamed as he forced himself to run faster through the pain of the stitch that had formed in his side._

"_Hunter!" Blake's six-year-old voice screamed as he completely lost his balance and started to fall over the cliff. Blake let out another gut-wrenching scream as he saw the high fall that he was facing. Hunter's heart stopped as he threw himself halfway off the cliff, grabbing Blake by the arm. His arm wrenched painfully as he grabbed onto his brother arm. Hunter wrapped his legs around a branch nearby, determined to hold on, no matter what it took. He felt the rough rocks scratching roughly into his stomach, but the fear for his brother's safety overrode all pain._

"_Stay calm." Hunter said in a calm voice, trying to keep his own panic out of his voice. He reached one of his arms down farther, grabbing higher on Blake's small arm. Blake was crying quietly, trying to be as strong as Hunter was, but he was terrified. "I'm going to get you up." Hunter looked down into Blake's eyes and they connected. Hunter let out a loud grunt, and pulled harder than he ever had for anything before. Blake cam flying away from the edge, straight into Hunter's waiting arms. Hunter let out a huge sigh of relief as he saw his brother's feet flying through the air. It was a wonderful feeling to know his brother wasn't in a bloody heap at the bottom of the cliff. He squeezed his brother to him, feeling his chest rise and fall against his arm. He was so relieved for his brother's safety. He knew it came before everything else._

"_Hunter." Blake said in a tiny voice, full of relief as Hunter wiped away the tears of fright. His older brother wrapped both arms around him, trying to comfort him, patting his back, rocking them both back and forth. Blake felt the warmth of his brother's hug, and relaxed into his arms. Hunter continued to rock them back and forth as they relished each other's company. Hunter's heart slowly started to calm down, his fear disappearing as he held his baby brother in his arms. Blake wasn't hurt, he was fine, and Hunter was holding him. Blake snuggled deeper into Hunter's embrace, and knew that he could trust his brother, no matter what happened._

Hunter had to wipe away his tears as he wished he could save Blake as easily as that day. He would never forget the feeling when he had been able to hold Blake in his arms, and he hoped he would have the chance to hold his brother again, hug him, and tell him what a great brother he was.

- - -

Cam wiped his sweaty brow as he finally threw his gloves and the surgical drapes in the red, biohazard bag, letting out a relieved sigh. Blake's back had turned out to be a field of deep cuts and scrapes.

Cam checked the position of the oxygen mask and IV, making sure they were still in the correct position. He had hated having to watch someone strong like Blake have to need oxygen and fluids, but his oxygen levels had steady started to drop, and extra oxygen was helping him to be able to relax.

"Shane, Hunter, can you help me move him to next to Tori?" Cam asked, cracking his back. They nodded and helped to slowly slide him onto a small cot with fresh, clean sheets. Cam sat down carefully between the two unconscious rangers, watching the steady rise and fall of their chests.

- - -

It had been almost seven hours, and neither occupants of the bed had moved. Hunter had gotten noticeably antsy in the past two hours of waiting. Then, Blake moved his hand. He clenched his hand, trying to convey the pain without talking. Blake's mind was still so blurry, he wasn't quite sure what had happened, but that everything hurt. His back felt like an open fire was burning on his back.

"Hey, Blake, try not to move. We stitched up your back, but I wouldn't try moving yet. Okay?" Hunter said in a soothing manner, laying a hand on Blake's head. "Tori is right next to you. When you open your eyes, she's right there." Hunter knew that was what Blake wanted more than anything else. Blake gave him a small smile and then, his face relaxed as he drifted back to his pleasant place. Hunter's own worry lines smoothed out as he watched his baby brother sleep.

"He'll be fine." Cam spoke up from his position at Tori's feet. "He will." He repeated when Hunter looked uncertainly at him. Hunter looked like death warmed over, scared for both someone who he considered his sister, and his own baby brother. He just wished someone would slap him awake from this terrible nightmare that he was stuck in.

"Thanks Cam." Hunter gave him a half-smile, but kept his glance on Blake's heart rate. The memories of losing his mother and father were running through his mind. He didn't think he could deal with another death, especially his little brother's. He watched the steady rise and fall on the readout from the machine, receiving a little bit of relief from knowing his brother was breathing.

"You guys need to get something to eat." Cam added. He looked down at his watch. It wasn't Tori's birthday anymore. "We need to be on the top of our game, we're two rangers down." He gave everyone a stern look, and they all reluctantly got up from their posts. Cam sighed silently, glad that they hadn't put up too much protest.

"You'll call us if anything changes." Shane said, and it wasn't a request, or a question, but a demand. He looked severely at Cam, almost if threatening him. Cam quickly nodded and shooed them on. He watched them all ninja streak out of the building, glad they were getting the fresh air, and the food. He grabbed an energy bar and some water from the cabinet, then he went back to sitting near Tori's feet. He munched slowly on the bar, watching the two unmoving patients sleep.

- - -

Shane, Dustin, and Hunter made their way to a quiet café on the edge of town. They didn't want to see all the healthy people running around, living normal lives, not when their friends were in such bad shape. They all ordered cheeseburgers and fries and ate in thoughtful silence once the food came.

"What are we going to do?" Dustin broke the silence after they had inhaled their burgers and started in on their fries. When the other two looked up in confusion, he added, "To Motodrone. He doesn't get away with hurting our friends." Dustin had an evil glint in his eyes, and the others knew right away what he was saying. This was one alien that wouldn't have a chance to grow again.

"Once we are positive that Tori and Blake are one hundred percent okay, we're going to hunt him down." Shane added, clenching his fist angrily, pulverizing the fry that was caught in his wrath. The others could see the waves of anger rolling off him. They nodded in agreement, they wanted revenge, whatever the costs. They finished their fries and took off. Once they hit the edge of the woods, they ninja streaked the rest of the way back to Ninja Ops.

- - -

Dustin was the first into Ops. Cam was in the process of inserting another tube into Tori, through her nose. "What are you doing?" He asked in indignation, wondering why Cam was putting yet another tube into Tori. He sprinted until he was right next to her head and knelt down next to her, watching Cam.

"She has to have this tube, in the frenzy, I didn't honestly remember. This will let her eat while she's unconscious." Cam explained as he finished inserting the tube. He taped that down as well, then checked the other tubes and equipment, making sure they were still working like he wanted them too.

"Hunter?" Blake's voice sounded tiny as he stirred again, clenching both of his fists when the pain hit him full-force. Hunter jumped, startled, before sitting down next to his brother. "What happened?" His voice was laced with pain as he tried to move around, but decided that staying in one spot was the best idea after several unsuccessful attempts at sitting up.

"You got hurt, remember?" Hunter said as he pulled the navy blanket over Blake's taped back. "You need to stay still right now, okay?" Blake nodded and blinked again, still trying to bring the day's events back into his mind. Cam also made his way over, removing the cumbersome oxygen mask, watching Blake's oxygen levels carefully. He didn't put the mask back on when the levels didn't drop. Blake took in a deep breath of air, then winced as the stitches stretched on his back.

"Yeah." Blake breathed out as he turned his head. He held in his cry of pain as he saw Tori again. Just seeing her brought everything back again, the failure of protecting her, and the fact that he knew that he really loved her. He hoped he would have a chance to tell her.

"Do you want more morphine?" Cam asked, his hand moving towards the control on the IV pump. He wanted to make sure that Blake was as comfortable as possible.

"No!" Blake shook his head, his eyes going wide in a state of panic. He moved his hand so that the IV flow was constricted. Cam snapped his hand back and took a step back, trying to convey he wasn't going to go against Blake's wishes. Hunter looked uneasy as Cam sat back down on the cushion he had brought in earlier.

"You sure?" Hunter asked, trying to see his little brother's real response. Blake nodded, looking slightly annoyed, before he turned his gaze back to Tori. "She'll be here when you wake up."

"No." Blake said, his voice coming out in a dead, flat tone. "I'm fine." Everyone knew that was a lie, but they knew that right now, Blake wasn't to be argued with.

"Okay." Hunter said, and fell back into his own chair. Now that he knew that Blake was okay, the sleep deprivation was setting in. His eyes fluttered shut, and before he knew it, he was deep in the middle of sleep. Cam just threw a blanket over him, but knew Hunter would be mad that no one woke up him. Blake started to drift off as well, against his will, and Cam pulled the blanket up to his shoulders again. The whole room was shifting to a sleeping environment, as the stressful events of the day set in on all of them. Their minds were all starting to shut down into a sleep state.

Dustin yawned widely, and Cam handed him a couple of pillows and a blanket. Dustin took them gratefully and laid down on the floor next to Tori. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Cam also threw a few pillows at Shane, who's eyes had steadily been falling shut over the last thirty minutes. They had gone almost two days without sleeping, and it was taking its toll. Shane slumped over in his chair, putting the pillow behind his head, and quiet snoring came from his mouth several minutes later. The room was soon filled with snoring after Cam set the heart rate alarms on high, and also slumped down into his chair, pulling a blanket over his chest and slipped into a deep slumber.

All of the occupants of the room were in the middle of their separate dreams. Suddenly Cam was wrenched from his dream by a loud blaring sound. The alarm was screaming on Tori's monitor. She wasn't breathing.

A/N: I love my cliff hangers … sorry, you should review though.. they make me happier :D


	4. She's My All

Fire In The Ice = World's greatest beta. She is amazing and puts up with me and my million excuses!! I love all your advice and your patience with me. I don't know what I would do without you :D You're my hero! All of you guys need to understand … she's like AWESOME!! Thank you for your help and I will continue to send you chapters. She sends me the greatest inspiration … and geez I can't thank you enough!!

-- A/N: Thank you all for putting up for me and for continuing to read. You guys are amazing and I love your input, positive and negative. I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave me reviews!!

- - -

Pyscho Tangerine: I'm glad you like this so far. I can't wait to see your next review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

MidnightMoonWarrior: My goal is to keep you on the edge of your seat! Read on to find out what happens to Tori. I hope you enjoy this next chapter … and please review and tell me your thoughts!

XxDyingxToxLivexX : Done! Sorry it took me so long, but I hope you enjoy this chapter and review!

takemeawayx3: Sorry this update took so long. I hope you enjoy this chapter … I hope you will enjoy this and there is a possibility of a cliffhanger. I do like to keep the story interesting. Please read and review … oh and don't forget to review!

Jake BlacksGirl – I guess It's a good thing that I'm good at these cliffhangers? Lol, I hope you enjoy this chapter and review again … oh and p.s. I am Jacob Black's girl!!

Lar-Lar: I hope this satisfies your need to know more. I hope you enjoy and please review!

JuseaPeterson: I LOVE your reviews… I am trying to keep up with all of the relationships!! It's so frustrating at times! :D School is fun, but I'm back at full days now!! There are more flashbacks awaiting you in this chapter … Thank you so much for all of your confidence and your remarks about me! I can't wait for your review on this chapter, sorry the wait was so long, and I hope you enjoy!

Aims5: I am sorry this chapter got so long to get up, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Please enjoy and review!

taylorearhardtmyers: here's another chapter for you! I hope you enjoy and review it!

C a i s h a L e a – hope you read and enjoy this story. I await your next reply!! Please tell me anything I need to fix!!

_- - -_

_"Mommy, please don't leave me!" Tori's lower lip trembled as she tried to hold back her sobs. She pleaded with her mother, Vanessa, who was curled up in a little ball on the hospital bed before her. Her mom looked so frail. Tori was only eleven-years-old, but deep inside she knew that this would be  
the last time she would ever be with her mother._

_Tori had spent the last year of her young life watching her mother fade away due to her end-stage ovarian cancer. Tori was very wise for her age and she knew that her mom wasn't going to be there much longer. Her mother was everything to her. Her father had walked out when Tori was born, unable to handle the  
responsibilities of a baby and her mom was all that was left of her family._

_"I love you Victoria, I am so sorry." Vanessa wished she could hang on, just for a little bit longer, for her the greatest love of her life: her daughter. She could feel the energy slipping away. Her body was giving up on her, and she couldn't fight any more. She had been through countless rounds of chemo and several experimental treatments; there simply wasn't anything else to try. Her heart ached so badly it felt like it was going to bounce right out of her throat, not just from the pain, but because she knew she was leaving her daughter alone in this world. _

_"Please mommy, please! I need you, don't leave me!" Tori cried out, louder this time, as her mom's eyes slid shut. She knew that this time, they wouldn't open again. Tori glanced over at the monitors, silenced after Vanessa had expressed her wishes to not be resuscitated. "Mommy, please, come back! I need you, I need you, I need you, please …" _

"Please Tori, I need you to wake up, please I need you." A male voice sliced through Tori's sleep, the worry and anxiety behind the voice cutting deep into her unconsciousness, pulling her towards awareness. "Tori?" The voice took on a new hope in an instant, but she couldn't seem to place the  
voice. She could hear an annoying, constant beeping noise, and she couldn't place the persistent sound. Her brain was so murky and cloudy; it was like she had been asleep for a hundred years, maybe longer.

Tori could hear slightly muffled mumbling from other people. She wasn't sure who they were; her ears were too groggy to understand anything. She was struggling to lift her fingers when the pain hit like a tsunami, striking at every point in her body.

"Tori, Cam's giving you morphine." Tori knew that voice, it was Dustin, always reassuring, a jokester, but this voice was laced with worry and fear. She wondered what happened; she couldn't remember, and as a burning cold sensation spread through her body like an icy fire, a wave of sleepiness hit her, and she fell back into a deep unconsciousness.

"Is she going to be okay?" Blake had insisted upon sitting by her side for the last three hours, even though his back still was in terrible shape. Fire burned through the wounds on his back. He struggled to turn around, wanting to see Cam's face when he answered. He was not going to be lied too.

After Cam had managed to resuscitate Tori, they had all been on edge, and nobody had been able to go back to sleep. Both Shane and Hunter had taken up pacing around the room in different patterns, never crossing each other. Dustin was sitting at the head of Tori's bed, rhythmically stroking her head, deep in his own dark thoughts, and Cam was leaning against the counter, diligently keeping an eye on the computer screens and Tori's heart monitor. He had never seen the team look so down, and he didn't know the right words to cheer them up.

"I think she will be." Cam said, cautiously optimistic. He stared directly into Blake's eyes, letting Blake know that he wasn't lying. Tori's body had been through an extremely stressful injury, but he knew she  
was strong and stubborn. Cam hoped with his entire being that Tori would pull through. Her body was so weak now, but he hoped her spirit would retaliate.

"I don't know what to do without her." Shane sounded more dejected than anyone had ever heard him sound. He was the leader, and was always trying to keep things on the bright side, and encourage the others. "She's the power that keeps us moving." He spoke the words that no one else was brave enough to utter.

"Don't give up hope." Hunter spoke up, for his brother's benefit more than anything. He couldn't stand to see the pain radiating from his little brothers body. He wanted more than anything for Tori to get better. He knew Tori was strong, but he could see the worry lines etched in Cam's face, and he saw how pale Tori's face was, and he knew that this would be the most intense struggle Tori had ever faced.

"Hunter, Shane, Dustin! Kelzaks are attacking the city!" Cam raced over to the monitors and swiveled in the chair to face the monitors. He typed frantically into the system. "They're terrorizing the city!" He added in horror. Several frightened people were racing for cover, trying to avoid the waving arms of the Kelzaks.

"We're on it." Shane and Hunter locked eyes as they turned and blew from the room. Dustin hesitated for a minute, pressed a careful kiss to Tori's forehead and followed behind them. Cam watched the monitor until he saw the familiar yellow, crimson, and red streaks start to attack the Kelzaks. He could hear the strained panting of Hunter, Shane, and Dustin as they started to fight their enemy.

"I wish I could do something," Blake's voice spoke from behind Cam. Blake had pulled himself painstakingly onto his feet and wobbled over to the monitors where Cam was sitting, his arms straining with the weight of his body.

"We all know you would be out there fighting if you could." Cam reassured Blake. He stood up and carefully wrapped his arm around Blake's injured back and helped him sit back down on his bed. "But right now, the best thing you can do is rest. Please."

"But, Tori..." Blake didn't finish his sentence; he didn't want to say that he might be missing Tori's last moments if he shut his eyes. He wanted to be with her every minute that he could. He felt like his whole life revolved around Tori now, and he wanted her to wake up so that he could start making up for forgetting her birthday. "She's my all, I can't loose her."

"I promise I will wake you up if anything changes," Cam promised, looking at Blake with such sincerity that Blake knew he was being honest. He really was exhausted, and all of a sudden, the sleepiness caught up with him, and his body relaxed. He turned carefully on his side and let his eyes flutter shut as he watched Cam walk back towards the computers to monitor the fight in the city.

_Blake cowered in the corner, holding Alisya to his chest, hoping she wouldn't start crying again. Daddy was drunk again. At four years old, Blake already knew that when daddy got drunk, you stay hidden. He let one silent tear roll down his cheek as he wished once again that his mommy would come home._

_"Blake, you want to come out and play?" Jensen Kinymatsu's taunting voice came from across the hall. Blake cringed as he heard the breaking of a bottle and knew what was coming next. "Where are you, boy?" Jensen's voice was getting louder and gruffer by the second as the alcohol took over his system. _

_"Blake! Get your dumb ass out here now!" Blake whimpered and tears started to leak out of his eyes. He didn't want to go face his father, but he didn't want his dad to hurt Alisya, so he carefully laid her in her crib and crept around the corner._

_"Yes, daddy?" Blake asked timidly as he trembled nervously. He cringed and anticipated the blows coming. He wished he knew what he had done wrong._

_"You are a failure. Do you know that? I hate you, you fucking bitch. You don't deserve to live." Jensen growled, grabbing his son by the shoulders. "If you had been enough for your mother to love, she might not have had another baby and she would still be here now!" Jensen raised his hand and punched Blake across the face. The little boy whimpered and this was all it took for Jensen to come off the hook. The alcohol had completely taken over. He hated that the it before him was so weak. It infuriated him beyond reasoning._

_Jensen shoved Blake away from him and pushed him to the floor. Then, with his steel toed cowboy boots, he started kicking him in the stomach as hard as he could. Jensen couldn't see his child anymore, just the blind anger from alcohol._

_"I'm sorry daddy." Blake whispered as he shut his eyes, and curled himself into a ball. He hoped that daddy would soon loose interest in hurting him and move onto something else. Blow after blow landed on his exposed arms and legs, and when Blake tried to protect his face, his dad landed several blows in his sensitive stomach. Silent tears flowed from Blake's eyes, but he knew if he made even the slightest noise, his daddy would hit him harder. _

_Blake shut his eyes and tried to remember his mommy's beautiful black hair and her warm hugs. He tried to ignore that he could hear something cracking, but he fought the blackness, he didn't want to leave Alisya unprotected. After what felt like a year, Jensen picked up the black, blue and bleeding child, and slammed his head into the wall and Blake fell into the darkness, unable to resist the black that surged up to greet him._

_Suddenly Alisya started to whimper, the noise finally waking her up. Jensen, in his full fury, turned and snatched her out of her crib, shaking her roughly as she started to wail. He growled and smacked her head three times into the edge of her crib. His anger flared again and he threw her across the room and  
she slid down to the floor, silent. Jensen turned back to Blake, threw him next to where Alisya lay, and stalked out of the house, leaving the front door wide open …._

_"Sweetheart, can you open your eyes?" An unfamiliar voice shook Blake from his stupor. "You're at the hospital, sweetie, but you're going to be okay." Blake blinked and opened his eyes to see a blond nurse sitting on the edge of his bed._

_"Where's Alisya?" Blake reached up to rub his eyes, but pain shot up through his arm as he tried to move it. He struggled to sit up, but the pain in his stomach was too intense. It felt like giant pins were attacking his stomach, his arms, everywhere. He couldn't seem to remember the night, but he wished someone could just tell him where his little sister was._

_"Honey, you need to stay still right now. You've been hurt really bad and you've been asleep for almost two weeks!" The nurse said as she gently helped Blake lie down again. She pulled the covers up again and then pressed something on the machine beside him._

_"Where's Alisya?" Blake asked again, panic creeping into his voice. Who had been feeding Alisya? She was just a baby. "She's just a baby, please!" His words came out slightly muffled and Blake finally  
realized that there was a bandage wrapped around his head, holding his jaw in place._

_"Can you tell me your name?" The nurse ignored his question. She knew that the baby who had come in with the child was DOA, but she knew she shouldn't tell him this now. She had seen the baby girl, her head had been cracked open like an rotten peach and bruises had blossomed everywhere before she had finally taken her last breath. If she saw their father, she didn't know if she could stop herself from jumping on him, that poor baby boy and girl. They were just babies, innocent children! The image of the baby girl's broken body would haunt her for the rest of her life._

_"My name is Blake Kinymatsu." Blake answered, fear evident in his voice. "Please, Alisya can't take care of herself." He shivered just thinking about his little sister being all alone._

_"Okay Blake, I'm going to get the doctor first, then we will tell you about your sister." The nurse smiled at him as she got up. "By the way, my name is Abigail." Blake didn't really register what she was saying, all  
he wanted right now was to know about his little sister._

_"Okay." Blake answered, suddenly sleepy. The pain had dulled, but now all he wanted was to know was Alisya. _

_A few minutes later, the doctor walked into the hospital room with the nurse behind him. "Hello Blake, I'm Dr. Green. I've been taking care of you." The doctor smiled at him and picked up the chart that was  
hanging on the edge of the bed. "You've been through quite an ordeal. You have a broken arm, four broken fingers, a broken leg, and six broken ribs, plus two skull fractures, and a severe concussion." The doctor internally cringed, thinking about his own children being on the bed before him. Blake didn't look too concerned with his own wellbeing, simply glancing down to see the casts and traction pulleys that covered his body. No wonder he couldn't move, his daddy was going to be mad when he came back._

_"I don't care about me, what about my sister?" Blake asked, he didn't care about himself, he just wanted to know about Alisya. He could see the doctor's face and knew bad news was coming. Deep down, he knew what the doctor was going to say._

_"Blake, if we tell you this, you can't panic." Dr. Green said in a soothing voice, sitting on the edge of the bed . "Your baby sister was injured very badly and we couldn't help her."_

_"Is she, is she dead?" Blake's lower lip started to tremble. His dad was right, he was a failure. He had let his baby sister die. Tears started to leak out of his eyes. His baby sister was gone forever. This was all his fault!_

_"I'm so sorry son. This wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything different. Your dad was very sick. Son, you must know that this isn't your fault." Dr. Green could see in the little boy's eyes that he was already blaming himself. "I wouldn't lie to you, I promise, on my grave, that this was not, and never will be your fault." _

_"But, Alisya, she's gone, forever." Tears were pouring down his cheeks, soaking into the gauze that surrounded his face. "It's all my fault, she's gone forever. I'll never get to see her again. It's all my fault, she's gone, it's all my fault…."_

"Blake, wake up, right now. You are having a nightmare. It's not real, Tori is right here. She's been getting better. She's going to be fine." Blake jerked as he finally tore out of his nightmare. Hunter was kneeling over him, sweat beads forming on his forehead, terror running rampant over his face.

"What happened?" Blake's voice was raspy, and he knew that he had been screaming. "Where's Tori?" He started to turn over when pain raced up his back, and he winced in pain. He resisted the urge to arch his back from the pain, knowing the pain would only increase if he gave in.

'Hey, lay back. Tori is right beside you. Are you okay?" Hunter looked right into Blake's eyes and Blake knew that he couldn't tell his brother a lie. Hunter had been there to hold him time and time again after he had woken up from his nightmares about Alisya and his father.

"No," Blake mumbled, inching closer into Hunter's arms. No matter how much they might pretend to fight, they were actually very close. Hunter responded instantly and wrapped a brotherly arm around Blake's shoulder, careful not to hurt him even more. Ever since Blake had joined the family, Hunter had always been the one who had held him when he woke up screaming.

"Tori is getting better." Cam reassured Blake, trying not to interrupt Hunter and Blake's brotherly moment. "Her stats really have been rising since you went to sleep. I'm not quite sure how, but she's improving." Cam showed Blake some of the readouts from the heart machine, but Blake wasn't interested in readouts. He could see that color had started to return to her face. "I think she might wake up soon again."

"Are you serious?" Blake's face lit up like a child seeing presents on Christmas. "How soon?" He managed to struggle into a sitting position and turned himself so that he was facing Tori's bed.

"Dude, chill out." Hunter's voice meant business, and Blake knew he just had to be satisfied with where he was sitting. Hunter knew that his brother would push himself beyond his limit to make sure that the girl he loved was okay.

"I'm fin-." The expression on Hunter's face cut off the end of Blake's sentence. "I need to know she's okay." They locked eyes and had a silent conversation before Hunter nodded and turned away. The two  
turned to face Cam again; Dustin and Shane tuned into the conversation, hoping to hear more about Tori.

"Look, Blake, if you want a little something to help you go to sleep… Tori won't wake up for at least another few hours." Cam directed towards Blake. He shook his head vehemently and Cam decided he didn't want to fight a loosing battle.

"Tori's spirit has started to fight back, and she's getting better. Now, we need to be prepared that she may be confused when she wakes up. And, we have to know that she will be facing a long and tough journey ahead of her." Cam informed his eagerly waiting audience. He wanted to prepare them for all possibilities. "She might be disoriented. When she does wake up, you guys can not rush her, or crowd her. It's very, very important that we don't freak her out. Resting and staying calm is crucial to her recovery."

The guys seemed to visibly mull about what Cam had said. The made sure that all the details were locked inside their head. The last thing that they wanted was for Tori's recovery to be messed up.

"Oh my gosh!" Horror crossed Hunter's face as he thought about something that hadn't even crossed his mind in two days.

"What?" The other four heads turned, fear evident in their voices. Thoughts raced through their heads of what else could be wrong.

"Kelly." The one word took a minute to register with the others. Kelly, the boss of two of the rangers, and close friend of all of them, had taken the back burner. They hadn't even given her a call to let her know why they had taken off and disappeared.

"Oh crap." Blake realized what Hunter was saying. They had taken off on their boss and hadn't let her know what was going on. "Dude, I can't go anywhere, so……. You better come up with a good excuse."

"Um, I'm on it." Worry lines crossed Hunter's face as he turned to leave. "Look, you guys page me the second she starts to wake up. I'm going to make sure that Blake and I still have a job so that we don't get  
kicked out of our apartment."

"I promise." Cam sounded so sincere; Hunter knew he wouldn't let him down. Hunter nodded, patted his brother once on the leg, and turned and streaked from the building in a blue of crimson.

- - -

"Now Kelly, can you please let me explain before you get really angry with me?" Hunter asked nervously as he stepped inside the building. He knew that despite the closed sign, Kelly would be there, completing the inventory he and Blake were supposed to be helping with.

"What should I let you explain?" Kelly's fury surprised Hunter. He hadn't expected her to be quite that angry. Hunter knew that they had left, and it was inexcusable, but he didn't expect it that bad. "The two of you took off when I needed you. You're both are fired. Don't bother coming back." Her eyes flashed angrily as she spun around towards the counter. She pulled the help wanted sign out from under the counter and slammed it into the window. Hunter could see the anger lines creased deep into her forehead and knew he was going to have to make a really good case for him and Blake.

"Please, Kelly," Hunter pleaded. He didn't know what they would do if they didn't have a source of income. It was really important that they have a place to live. He knew that he had messed up by not keeping Kelly informed, but he hadn't honestly thought about anything except his brother and Tori.

"Fine. You have two minutes to impress me." Kelly's voice was dripping with sarcasm. She took a stance of "I don't care", and crossed her arms. She wasn't really angry at Hunter; she had been so scared about him. It had been two days with no contact from the brothers and she hadn't been able to sleep. She cared about Hunter more than she wanted to admit and the thought of something bad happening to him had scared her, badly.

"Blake was in an accident. He fell off his bike and his back got ripped open. He's been in agony for the past day because Tori also was hurt. It's very complicated, but I've been trying to help out my brother." Hunter made sure his eyes were pleading, and his stance was open, showing he wasn't lying.

"Are you serious?" Kelly's arms dropped and she ran a nervous hand through her silky blond hair. The fury she had felt was gone, replaced with a numbing fear. "Oh my god." She crossed the distance and wrapped her arms around Hunter. He felt all the resistance leave his body and tears started to pour from his eyes. The horror of watching his brother suffer, Tori's agony, and the emotional struggle of it all caught up with him. Hunter broke down in Kelly's arms, sobs ripping from his throat as she clung to him and let him cry. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and pressed his face into her shoulder.

"Shhh, Hunter, it's going to be okay. You're okay, shhh." Kelly rocked him back and forth. She mumbled the comforting words in Hunter's ears, pressing light kisses into his sandy colored hair. Together they slid  
to the floor and almost a full hour passed before Hunter was able to pull himself together.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall apart on you like that," Hunter apologized, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He sniffed, and hugged Kelly tighter to him. "I'm so sorry," He apologized again, looking slightly ashamed, as he tried to use his own shirt to dry the soaked spot on her shirt.

"It's fine, you needed to let it all out. Look, if you can just keep me in the loop, you and Blake can have the time you need. Just keep me updated and I'll make sure your jobs are here when you guys come back." Kelly smiled, and Hunter stroked her face gently. He couldn't believe how gorgeous she was, he wanted to tell her, but he had never found the courage, even with his brother's encouragement and the teams gentle teasing.

Hunter let his fingers run under her silky chin, and ever so carefully, tilted her face upwards towards his. They both leaned slowly in towards each other and their lips met together in a perfect, light kiss. Hunter couldn't believe how soft her lips felt. It was like kissing the wing of a butterfly. Kelly couldn't believe how gentle and perfect Hunter's kisses were.

Finally, because air was a necessity, the couple broke. A wide smile spread over both of their faces as they touched their noses together. They both panted for air, their breath being swept away not just by kisses, but by the simple presence of each other. Kelly couldn't believe how lucky she was, she had imagined this moment for just about as long as she had known the boys, but her imagination hadn't done this moment any justice. Hunter had always thought that Kelly hadn't liked him, but how wrong he had been.

"Kelly, will you be my girlfriend?" Hunter rushed the question out in one loud breath. Kelly, beyond words, nodded. She giggled and threw her arms around him again and snuggled her face closer towards where she could hear his heart beating in his chest. She had to fight the tears that formed in her eyes; this was the happiest day in her life. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

"I know this sounds bad, but I have to go now and be with Blake. I promise I will call you tonight." Hunter heard the beep of his comm. and he knew that he needed to leave, right now.

"Promise?" Kelly's eyes pleaded with Hunter. Hunter nodded and kissed her once more, leaving Kelly gasping for air. She couldn't believe how perfect his kisses felt. Hunter turned to leave. "Please, come  
back."

Hunter did a double take, and he turned back towards Kelly. He covered the distance in one large step, and swept Kelly up into his arms. He passionately and desperately kissed her, her hands came up instinctively to caress the side of his face and their kisses deepened. One of his hands was resting on the  
low of her back while the other gently rested on the side of her face. Each kiss went deeper, while the fire burning deep inside them grew. When they finally broke apart, Hunter replied, "I promise."

-~-~-~

"I'm sorry to get your hopes up, but I needed you back here at Ops." Cam apologized as Hunter blew into Ops Center.

"What's going on?" Hunter asked, trying not to show the glow that he felt radiating from his body. "What's so urgent?" He put on a serious face; he knew Cam wasn't likely to panic unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I was running the routine scans on the computers, and I picked up this." Cam pressed a button on the screen and a video popped up. The team watched as several Kelzaks searched an abandoned warehouse. They picked up something that the team couldn't see on the monitors and left. "I couldn't see what was object was, but I want all of you guys to be on aler-." Cam had spun around to address the team members, but everyone looked confused when his sentence cut off. They all turned around and their jaws dropped in amazement as they saw Tori's eyes opening.


	5. Lost

A/N: You all have permission to shoot me. Sorry this took… forever. I did get some really great suggestions, but I decided to follow another idea that I had. Thank you so much for our ideas, I promise I didn't think they were bad or anything. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. : )

A/N 2: There is cussing in this chapter and violence. I've noticed other authors are really trying to warn their readers more, so I thought I would follow this example.

A/N 3: I also have started writing Criminal Minds fanfiction. Look for those in the coming weeks.

so … enjoy sorry.

Tori cleared her throat for what felt like the hundredth time. She winced as it scraped her raw throat, but it got rid of the annoying mucus still clinging to the edges of her throat. She still had a nasal cannula threaded underneath her nose, pulse ox machine clipped to her finger, and an IV hooked to her right wrist, but those were just precautions. She was looking like the Tori that they knew and feeling more like it every day. Her wrists stung a little, but she felt much better.

"How do you feel now?" Blake asked anxiously from his position lying next to Tori. He had insisted upon staying with her. His back really didn't hurt at all anymore now that Tori was on the mend. "You look so beautiful." He carefully picked up her hand and kissed it.

"Better, much better." Tori winced at the grating quality to her normally silky voice. While certain details were still fuzzy, she knew that she was very lucky. She shivered as she remembered Motodrone's voice, but Hunter's voice broke through her reverie and she shook the memories away.

"That's all we want to hear!" Hunter had a big cheesy grin plastered from ear to ear. Not only was Tori getting better, so was his baby brother. It's like the two of them were connected by the heart. It was certain that they were meant for each other.

"Are you still warm enough, breathing easily?" Cam's voice was still slightly higher pitched. The anxious look still lingered in his eyes. Tori could see the toll the situation of the team had taken on him. He had bags under his eyes but refused to give into the need for sleep.

"I'm fine, Cam. I'm sure you had a lot to do with that too!" She gave him a reassuring smile while stifling a cough. He still looked worried though. After visiting with Tori, Shane and Dustin had been asleep literally before his head hit the pillow. The stress of the last few days had taken its toll.

"I'm going to update Kelly." The name brought a smile to Hunter's face as he thought about their new found relationship. "I'll be back in an hour. If anything changes…" He let his statement drift off. He didn't want to think about what might happen.

"Have fun!" Blake grinned widely at his brother. He had radically changed in the last few hours. The pain in his back had all but disappeared. It was just like a new day had dawned. A yawn startled him. He turned his eyes back to Tori and smiled as her eyes had fluttered shut and her breathing had started to even out. He sighed as he let his own eyes shut and drifted off.

Cam noticed that one of the cameras had gone snowy. He tried to reboot the camera but when he couldn't restart it, he realized he was going to have to go outside. He quickly scribbled a note with where he went and the time. He didn't want to wake anyone up. Everyone was running on zero energy.

He slipped out of the entrance and walked towards the location of this camera. The night was pitch black, fireflies still flickering through the air. It was the perfect night to be outside.

"Damn it!" Cam muttered to himself as he examined the broken camera. It looked like a huge He was so intently examining the camera he didn't hear the twig snap break behind him. He let out a grunt as a large branch was brought down on the back of his head and he collapsed before he was able to scream for help.

"Have you seen Cam?" Shane peeked in the back room again, but still no Cam. He had left a note, but the young tech had not returned. "I'm getting really worried."

"Me too, I'm going to look outside." Dustin walked towards the entrance. They were slightly confused about where he had gone.

"I'll come with you." Shane walked across the hallway and the two exited, anxious to find out what was happening to their team.

"Do you feel it? It's almost like there is something eerie in the air." Dustin looked around for any sign that something was wrong. Suddenly, however subtle, there were the signs they were hoping against hope wasn't there. "Look!"

"Oh crap." Shane shut his eyes, wishing if he just shut his eyes, it would all go away. This was the worst nightmare he had ever imagined. They were just recovering from Tori and those wounds hadn't even closed yet.

"We gotta tell the rest of the team." Dustin couldn't believe that for the second time in a week, one of their team members had been taken. "I'm going to kill this bastard." Shane nodded in agreement.

"He's not going to know what hit him." Shane ground his teeth together in frustration, punching the moss covered rock in frustration. "We need to not tell Tori and Blake though. They need to rest and recover. Let's get Hunter back here. We're going to need all the help we can get."

Cam moaned quietly as he woke up. He tried to touch his painful head, but found his hands wouldn't move. His eyes shot open when he remembered what had happened. He tried to move his head but winced painfully when white hot pain flashed through his entire head.

"I thought you were never going to wake up." Motodrone's cold voice sounded crazed. It was scary. "I have such a busy day planned." All Cam could see the two mustard yellow eyes floating above him. It was like something out of a crazy kid nightmare.

"What do you want?" Cam refused to show any fear. It was the thing that kept Motodrone going. "You didn't even succeed in hurting Tori. She's fine." He smirked when the eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh but I did. See, the second I suck the liquid out from the holding cells, Tori will start to suffer again." Motodrone let out a loud laugh. Cam tried not to start shaking. Tori was completely at Motodrone's will.

"You're bluffing." Cam spit out. It couldn't be right. He had seen Tori, she was getting better. This had to be some sort of trick to get a rise out of him.

"Oh you'll see in time. I never fail at anything." Motodrone laughed again. It unnerved Cam further, but he bit his lip. He didn't want Motodrone to win. Motodrone wanted the power, to see others in pain and Cam wasn't going to give it to him. "You know what? I think it's time to talk to your little band of friends."

Tori and Blake were still out cold, but none of the three other team members were waking them up. They really needed to get the sleep to help them recover. Suddenly all the screens went black then Motodrone's face was displayed on each of the screens.

"Greetings losers." Motodrone's face was a permanent sneer. He looked like a snake that had snagged the biggest mouse. "I thought you might be missing something."

"What do you want bastard?" Dustin growled. He wasn't going to play along with the games that this fucker wanted to play. This monster had simply pushed him over the edge.

"Tsk Tsk, anger management Dustin." Motodrone was eerily calm. "You have something that I want."

"What could you possibly want?" Hunter snarled, his hands coiling into fists. He just wanted to punch the person that had hurt his little sister and brother. "We don't have anything to give you."

"I want the beautiful Tori." Motodrone talked about her like she was some sort of treat for him. The boys all took a defensive step in front of her, blocking him from seeing her. Motodrone's eyes narrowed slightly but he continued. "If you ever want to see your other little friend, then you'll give her to me."

"You're not going to get her, ever." Shane snarled. He also curled his hands into fists. He was so mad he could just strangle Motodrone.

"You have exactly an hour to make your decision." Motodrone reached towards the screen and they all went black.

A/N: Sorry this is soooo short! I'm just indecisive about what happens after this, I actually have two chapters written, I just can't decide which one to post. So your reviews will decide which one I post.


	6. Don't Shut Your Eyes

A/N: hopefully this doesn't come off Tori/Cam. Sorry for the longer than expected time between the updates. Save Me is next.

Tori didn't let the tears that were brimming in her eyes fall. She didn't have time to be weak. She had to be stronger than she ever had right now. If she didn't, Cam would die. She hated having to leave her friends, her family, behind, but she was the more expendable one. The boys were wrong, she was replaceable, Cam wasn't.

"You made a wise choice blue ranger." Motodrone cackled from the shadows. He slowly emerged, a trussed up Cam slung over his shoulder. "I have scanned the area and I saw you came alone." She had to stop herself from hurling herself at him. The sight of his gloating face was almost too much to bear.

"You said you wouldn't hurt Cam." Tori almost snarled accusingly. There was an ominous trail of blood dripping down Cam's face and from the way his whole body was relaxed, he was most likely unconscious. It scared her that he wasn't moving.

"I didn't hurt him, badly." Motodrone's face split into a sickening grin before he threw Cam haphazardly aside. "Now, you're coming with me." He pulled out handcuffs and slid them over towards Tori. "You will put those on. You will set your morpher and phone down next to Cam." They were not requests, they were demands. Ones that Tori didn't dare deny since he was only a few feet away from Cam.

"You will leave my friends alone?" Tori glared at him while she slid her phone and morpher so they rested almost hidden in the lapel of his shirt. Her gaze softened when she saw how much like a little boy he resembled. He had the beginnings of a mustache on his upper lip, like the peach fuzz of a new born baby, but the clash of the crimson blood ruined the image.

"We have a deal." Was Motodrone's only reply. Once Tori had gotten the handcuffs securely around her wrists, he stepped forward and carelessly slung her over his shoulder. She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her abdomen. "Let the fun begin."

_4 hours later_

"Have you seen Tori?" Blake was getting frantic. She had simply left a note that read, going for walk, - T. She was still not back and he had been awake for an hour. She had been gone an awful long time for just a walk.

"No, I'll go look for her." Hunter offered, stretching as he stood up from the cot he had crashed on finally. He had been so tired he wasn't sure he was seeing straight so he finally just stumbled over to his cot and fell asleep. Dustin had followed suit only about ten minutes later.

"I'll go with you." Dustin yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't really been sleeping, just trying too. His brain wouldn't stop going a hundred miles an hour and he couldn't seem to make it turn off. It seemed like every time he closed his eyes something else went wrong and he wasn't sure he wanted for it to happen again.

"Don't you think she would have let us know?" Dustin was starting to get really worried. Tori was his sister and not knowing where she was again was a horrible feeling.

"I just am scared she might have done something really stupid." Hunter felt his stomach drop thinking about Motodrone's deal and Tori's less than happy response to finding out. She had been really upset that the boys had let her sleep through their "chat" with Motodrone.

"I just, I don't know. I do know that Tori's not the type to just sit there while someone else suffers, especially when it's being blamed on her." Dustin scanned the woods, looking for any flash of blue to catch his eyes.

"I don't see her. Why don't we go back and run a tracing scan on her morpher." Hunter suggested after a few minutes. "We'll probably have more luck there then spending it out here." He rubbed his arms nervously. It was starting to get cooler and cooler, very quickly.

"Good idea." Dustin was definitely feeling the coolness of the early morning. The two quickly streaked back to the waterfall, hating to give Blake bad news for what seemed like the one thousandth time of the day.

Tori moaned underneath her breath as she woke up in the tiny cell. Four tiny strips of light streamed in, but other than that, she was completely trapped, and freezing. She breathed out as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her eyes got big when in the dim light, she realized she could see her own breath. She wondered where her jacket was, but when she knelt on the floor to feel around for it, there was nothing but the freezing concrete. She tried to hop up and down, but all she got was an instant headache and a halo of stars for her efforts.

"Stupid girl, you need to be careful." Motodrone's face suddenly was caught in the light, giving Tori the one view she had never wanted to see again. "Take this." He shoved three rolled bundles through the window. She was shocked to find they were fleece blankets and had been sitting someplace warm for a while. "What, did you think I was heartless?" He responded to her shocked expression. "You will want to get as much sleep as possible. You will need it." He laughed before he walked away, leaving Tori completely baffled.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want?" Tori screamed after him as she reluctantly gave into the biting cold and slung the blankets around her shoulders. It instantly helped her feel more warm and blindly she managed to get one blanket spread across the ground and got curled up under the others. She fixed her gaze on the bars of light, wondering when the others would wake up and find her gone.

"You need to stay here." Hunter and Dustin were desperately trying to get Blake to lie back down. They had tracked her phone, but it was in a random spot in the woods and wasn't moving. He was very gingerly putting his jacket on. "You can barely move!" Hunter grabbed his brother roughly around the upper arms, "You can barely get your jacket on. Sit down." He commanded in his older brother voice.

"Please." Blake begged, but he sighed. He knew that his brother was right, like usual. "Let me know the second that you've found her." Hunter looked his brother dead in the eyes and gave him a serious nod. In the deep of his heart he knew they weren't going to find her and that once again, something terrible had happened.

"I swear." Hunter patted him and handed him an extra blanket. "We'll come back as quickly as possible." Dustin was waiting for him by the door and the two ninja streaked away.

"Oh my God!" Dustin skidded to a halt as they saw Cam in a crumpled heap on the dirty forest ground. The side of his face was pressed into the mossy earth, but he didn't appear to be conscious. "Can you hear me Cam?" With Hunter's help, the two carefully rolled Cam onto his back. He had a trickle of blood from his temple, but other than that he looked okay. They scanned him to see if he had any other obvious injuries, but nothing seemed to be wrong. "Cam?" He noticed that Cam's eyelids were starting to flutter.

"Du-Dustin?" Cam cracked his eyes as he realized where he was. He had been having the weirdest dream, but instead of waking up, it kept going. "What's going on?"

"We found you. Tori's morpher and phone was next to you." Hunter held up the two pieces before storing them in his pocket. "Do you know how they got there?"

"No idea." Cam was shocked to see those. He had absolutely no clue what had happened after Motodrone had come into the tiny holding space he had been keeping him in and knocked him out.

"We need to get back. Can you stand?" Dustin and Hunter looked ready to pick him up, but when Cam shot them a death glance, they just held their hands out.

Blake looked up expectantly when the two returned, but his face fell before he realized there was a third person limping slowly behind them. "Cam!" He exclaimed from where he had managed to prop himself upright against a chair so his back wasn't touching.

"Hey." There was a bruise forming on Cam's jawline and blood had congealed on the side of his face, but he didn't look terrible. "You look better." He commented as he looked up and down Blake's body. Last time he had seen Blake, he had been in some serious pain.

"Yea. You don't look so hot." Blake gestured towards his face. Cam gingerly touched his face with a wince. "What happened to you?"

Sorry this was such a sucky chapter. I don't mean to whine, but I'm really struggling with depression right now. Please don't flame me. I just can't get my life in order right now. Sorry again. I just, please be patient.


	7. A New Power

A/N: I really thought that I could get this update out in a week! So so sorry! My teachers are being really super wonderful about the upcoming AP exams! I'm working on my other stories as fast as possible! Sorry!

I have never watched Mighty Morphin before, though in my defense, I was busy being born, but I'm now working my way through the first season and I LOVE it! It's really awesome! I had seen some of the episodes on re-run, but never all of the episodes. I'm so excited!

Tori was curled into a ball underneath the threadbare blanket Motodrone had put in here before she had been thrown in here. The light that was coming in through the window had gotten brighter and she could now see that the ceiling was only about three feet above where her head was. It was like she had been shoved into an oversized coffin. She hadn't felt this alone since her mother had passed away. She wondered when Motodrone was going to come back and stop dragging this torture out. She wished that the others were here with her, but then it would have been pointless for her to try to protect them.

_"What would I do without you?" Dustin laughed as he playfully punched Tori's arm. They were in the back of Storm Chargers. Dustin was supposed to be doing inventory, but he had his feet thrown up on a chair and his arms behind his head and was watching Tori count the different items. _

_"You might actually have to do something, sometime." Tori made a face, but didn't look up from her task. They had been almost completely cleared out from the special sale that Kelly had run and were going to put in a massive order that evening to help replenish their scarce supplies. _

_"Never go away, I'd be hopelessly lost." Dustin tried to keep his tone playful, but he honestly didn't know what he would do if Tori was gone. She was his best friend. It wasn't even a question anymore, she was his sister_

"Eat this." Motodrone's voice startled her out her reverie. She hadn't even heard him coming. He shoved an energy bar through the window and turned to go. "I will be back in 5 minutes." He said, his back still turned to the window. Tori felt dread rush through her system. Was this the end?

"All I remember is Motodrone hitting me in the head and then next thing I know you guys are standing over me." Cam recited for what seemed like the hundredth time. It kept running through his mind. He had gone to check the broken camera and then those yellow eyes were peering out at him from the darkness and then it all went black. Motodrone could have flown him to the moon and back and he would have had no idea.

"So you have no idea where he took you?" Shane was pacing up and down. He was beyond anxious to find Tori. He hated that she was out there, possibly hurt. He hated that he hadn't woken up and stopped her when she left. He could have talked sense into her. There was no telling what Motodrone was capable of. Blake's eyes were following Shane's movements, but Hunter knew that he had no idea what was going on around him. "Think hard." He added in a hard voice. Every second wasted here was a second that Tori could by lying somewhere dying, all alone. He was terrified that they were going to be too late.

"I wish I did." Cam let his eyes drop to the floor, ashamed of this uselessness. He wished he could remember but everything was completely blank from the time that he had hit the ground in the forest. He felt as useless to the team as he was when he didn't have his samurai powers.

"Sorry, I'm just worried." Shane realized that he was biting off Cam's head without a truly good reason. Cam didn't know what happened and he was trying to help him. He looked at the cut on his head. This was three members of the team that Motodrone had seriously hurt. Shane felt like a failure. It was his job as leader to protect the team and he had let someone come in and trample them.

"It's fine." Cam winced as Dustin pressed against his forehead particularly hard. The blood had mostly congealed but it was still a nasty cut. "I'll track Tori." His eyes lit up like he had just been told he had won a million dollars. He almost smacked himself in the head when he remembered. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten.

"You can't." Hunter threw Tori's phone and morpher on the bed next to Cam. Cam ignored them as he carefully got to his feet as Dustin finished putting a butterfly bandage on the cut of his throat. "Yes I can." Cam grabbed his laptop and pulled up a page with a complex looking series of numbers spread across it. "4219 Wilkinson Road." He announced after a minute of frantic typing and beamed triumphantly up at the team who had gathered around him except for Blake.

Everyone looked around, confused. "I put a tracker in her arm while she was unconscious." Cam said, looking like he had just won the largest lottery in the world. As they all stared at the red dot flashing at them on the screen, hope began to rise in all of them.

"Let's bring Tori home."

Motodrone unlocked the small door and reached in for Tori, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulled her out from the corner. She was so surprised that she couldn't scream, but when she was thrown on the floor in a heap beneath his feet, she could feel the pain searing through her scalp. He quickly wrenched her hands behind her back and wrapped the wire around them for the second time in a week. She winced, the gashes that the wire made on her wrist hadn't healed yet, and the scabs were being ripped off by the abrasive wire.

"What are you going to do to me?" Tori wished that her voice hadn't quivered when she asked the question. She wanted to seem brave, even though she knew that she wasn't. She was more scared then she had been the first day she had entered the Wind Academy.

"Well if you must know, first I'm going to finish what I started before I was so rudely interrupted, than I'm going to kill you." Motodrone said in a voice that was so matter-of-fact, she felt more chills run down her back. She wished she could be safe in Blake's arms, where it was always warm and there was no danger.

"My friends will get revenge." Tori's voice cracked on the word friends. She knew that they would eventually find this place and destroy Motodrone. She wondered if her body would be here or if Motodrone would destroy it. She wasn't normally a morbid person, but she hoped that her friends would be able to cremate her body and spread her ashes over the sea.

"They'll never find me. This place is well hidden; it doesn't show up on any camera." Tori's heart sank even lower. She knew Cam was amazing with computers and his tracking capabilities, but if he couldn't find the location, then she might not ever be found.

"I personally think it was pretty easy to find," came a very familiar sarcastic voice. Tori's heart leaped. She knew that voice. She threw herself away instinctively from Motodrone as a crimson streak slammed into Motodrone's chest. Shane carefully cut the wire that held her hands together and helped her to her feet. Tori watched in amazement as Hunter, Cam and Dustin tried valiantly to keep Motodrone away from them.

"Are you okay?" Shane's voice was full of concern. Even with his helmet on, Tori knew that his face was creased with worry lines. Tori was so speechless that all she could do was nod. "You stay here." He practically carried her over behind a bunch of crates and sat her down. "You sit this one out." Tori could hear the order in his words and nodded. Her legs were still wobbly and she wasn't sure she could stand by herself.

"None of you are strong enough to stop me." Motodrone threw Hunter off of him, causing him to crash into a nearby wall with a nasty crack. Dustin and Cam backed off a few feet, trying to get their bearings around him. Motodrone laughed, his voice reverberating through the entire room.

"We'll bring you down, just like every other villain who got in our way." Shane said as he joined his friends, helping Hunter to his feet, not taking his eyes off of Motodrone. Motodrone let out a loud laugh that ended as a snarl as Shane sent red streaks flying towards him. Motodrone did a back flip out of the way, but the taunting look in his eyes had been replaced by a hardened look. Shane matched his gaze, refusing to look away.

"Let's play." He growled as he flew towards the rangers. Hunter, Shane, and Cam dove away from Motodrone as he sprayed the floor in front of him with nasty looking laser beams. Shane aimed his weapon at Motodrone, but Motodrone seemed untouchable. Shane let out a shout as Motodrone loomed closer and closer. He let himself look to make sure Tori was still safely hidden, but by the time he turned back, Motodrone's face was in front of him and with a nasty slash to the side of Shane's head, Motodrone knocked him unconscious, laughing as Shane's morph shimmered a blood red and disappeared.

"Shane!" Dustin, Cam and Hunter yelled as they ran towards Motodrone. Hunter drew his Thunder Staff and tried to drive it into Motodrone's chest, but Motodrone simply stepped out of the way. He was faster than any of them remembered, but the three were determined to bring him down. Tori carefully inched her way out from behind the boxes, trying to reach Shane. If he died, it would be her fault.

"That reminds me." Motodrone's grin got wider as he pulled out a device from his pocket. Everyone gasped when he put it onto his wrist, it looked like one of their morphers. "Power up!" He shouted as he ran forward towards the remaining rangers.

If it had been possible for someone to reach inside and squeeze all the blood out of her heart, then Tori would have preferred the pain of that over the pain that had taken over her entire body. The air raced from her lungs and she felt herself falling forward. She hit the ground with a painful yelp, her whole body seizing in the terrible pain. She let out a high-pitched scream, her hands grasping at the floor, trying to find something, anything to hold onto.

"Tori!" Dustin saw her fall out of the corner of his eyes. He let out a strangled yell as Motodrone flew towards him, already managing to knock Hunter and Cam out cold, both demorphed. Dustin went to kick Motodrone, but Motodrone caught his foot easily and flipped him onto his back. Motodrone wrapped both of his hands around Dustin's neck and slammed Dustin back into the wall. Dustin gasped for air, the lights flashing before his eyes. He wheezed desperately for air, his hands scratching at Motodrone's unforgiving, cold, metal arms. Slowly, his hands stopped moving, his morph shimmering yellow before completely disappearing. He slid to the ground, unconscious, the last thing he heard, the sound of Motodrone's reverberating laugh.

This is not beta-ed, so any mistakes are mine! Thanks for reading. Chapter 8 will be up in 48 hours!


	8. Five Member Team

A/N: Wow thanks for the reviews guys! They were really welcome. I'm going to try to get one more out this coming week before AP exams pick up! I would say three more chapters left in this story.

I'm terribly sorry that this didn't get up yesterday evening! I had no idea it didn't upload.

fallingstar22: Thanks so much! I really appreciate your review!

Emzy2k11: I'm trying to update as soon as possible! Thanks for reviewing, it makes me feel really good.

SophieKen90: Wow, that's such a huge compliment! I feel very honored to be the recipient. I know I am guilty of writing a little out of character, but those who are excessively out of character bother me. I loved Ninja Storm, it was the last season aired where I live until Samurai!

MissQueenofChaos: Thanks for your support! I get so nervous. I am actually really nervous about this chapter. I don't think it's the best, but is mostly a filler chapter.

CloudGazer15: Thanks! I hope this meets your standards.

damonXelenaXforever: Aw! Thanks so much! I am about to have a lot of time on my hands with exams being over, so I'll update much much faster.

Can't thank you guys enough! It's very inspiring.

Tori managed to roll herself on her back, her breaths coming in strangled gasps. She couldn't even scream anymore, the pain was overwhelming. She almost wished she was back when her energy was being drained, it hurt less than this pain. Fire and ice were burning through her veins, battling for control. Her hands were contorted into tight fists, the knuckles white.

"Tor?" Shane was inching his way towards her. He tried to wobble to his feet, but he had tipped forward, unable to find his balance. He The world had yet to stop moving back and forth like a sick amusement ride. It was obvious that Motodrone's hit had done some serious damage to his neck. Hunter, Cam and Dustin were still crumpled, not moving, where Motodrone had left them. He would check on them next. "Tori, focus on me." He pulled her head into his lap, her eyes were rolling back into her head, her breath coming in tiny gasps.

"Tori?" Hunter was struggling to get to his feet. He limped slowly towards the two, half falling down next to Tori. She was panting hard, her lips were slowly taking on a bluish hue. Hunter winced when he heard the gargling noise in the back of Tori's throat. "It's going to be okay." He tried to comfort her, afraid to touch her. He hated seeing the desperate look in her eyes, not even able to imagine the pain that she must be in.

"We need to get her back to Ninja Ops." Cam sounded slightly panicked as he scrambled to get to his feet under him. His shy and quiet demeanor was slipping away with each passing moment that Motodrone was still breathing. Dustin was still out cold, but he was breathing evenly. Tori whimpered as her body started to shake. "She's having a seizure, lay her down and don't touch her!" Cam yelled from where he was taking Dustin's pulse.

"Tori, just hang on." Shane pleaded, he carefully laid her flat on the ground, unable to do anything except listen to her strangled screams as her body shook uncontrollably. Shane felt like an eternity had gone by before her body finally relaxed into the ground. Her eyes fluttering shut as she lost her battle with consciousness.

"We need to get to Ninja Ops now." Cam said as cautiously situating the still unconscious Dustin over his shoulder and taking off in a streak of green. Hunter nodded to Shane, who carefully arranged Tori into his arms and took off in a streak of red, followed by a streak of crimson.

"Tori, if you can hear me, we're going to help you." Shane said loudly, stroking Tori's hair. Blake looked on in horror, frozen a few feet away from Tori. Blake recovered and inched himself closer to Tori, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Shane, Hunter, I'm going to need all the help I can get." Cam said, snapping the two out of their trance-like state. Hunter turned to look at Cam, scared of who Motodrone would hurt next. Motodrone had shown he could take anybody he wanted and wasn't scared to hurt them. It could be any of them and they were three times more vulnerable.

"I need you to put these on Dustin's chest, there is a diagram on the back of the machine." Cam tossed Hunter a box full of electrodes. Hunter nodded as he caught the box and dumped the box out on the bed, then flipped over the box to follow the directions.

"Shane, keep doing what you're doing," Shane nodded and focused back on Tori. "I'm going to intubate you Tori, I'm going to do the best I can not to hurt you." Cam's voice took on a gentler tone. He carefully tilted her head back, spraying her throat with a numbing spray before gently, but quickly pushing the tube down her throat. Even though this was only the second time he had done this, he felt like he had done it way too many times. He watched with relief as her oxygen levels started to level off.

"What happened?" Blake finally spoke up, it looked like it was taking all of his will power not to cry. He had propped himself up onto his elbows, but he was obviously still in pain.

"Motodrone has some new device. I believe it is attached to Tori's life force in some way." Cam said, not able to suppress a shudder. He pulled a beautiful knitted turquoise blanket over her, being careful of all the tubes and walked over to Dustin. His neck was covered in nasty-colored bruises, that looked eerily like hand prints. He shuddered at the thought that Motodrone's hands were the last ones that had touched Dustin's neck.

"Will Dustin be okay?" Hunter helped Cam attach the rest of the monitoring equipment onto Dustin's fingers and arms. He groaned and mumbled something, but his eyes never opened. While Motodrone hadn't succeeded in completely cutting off Dustin's windpipe, he had done some serious damage.

"I believe with a little help, he's going to be fine." Cam set an oxygen mask on Dustin's pale face. Dustin had little sweat beads forming and Cam could only imagine the damage that had been done. "Pull that blanket up." Hunter didn't look any less worried as he looked at Dustin, a person he had come to see as one of his best friends.

"What do we do now?" Shane spoke up, from where he was sitting cross legged at the head of Tori's bed.

"We wait." Cam said, his face set grimly.

"Where did Motodrone disappear too?" Cam pushed himself back from where he had been bent over his computer screen, combing over the city with a fine-tooth comb. He didn't know if it was possible to be more frustrated then he was.

"You'll find him." Hunter said quietly, from where he was dabbing ointment onto his brother's back. The cuts were still the angry red and were still oozing blood. He was beginning to wonder if Motodrone had done something that affected how the wounds healed. He wanted to scratch Motodrone's eyes out, but that wouldn't even be close to enough punishment for what Motodrone had done.

"Thanks." Cam replied just as quietly, he wished he could just run out of here and scream. Dustin was still unconscious and Tori had already had three seizures. She was deteriorating quickly and everyone knew that if Motodrone wasn't destroyed soon, Tori would die. Cam was terrified they were going to loose her.

"What's that noise?" Shane looked up, there was a strange beeping noise. "It's the television." Cam, Hunter, Shane, and Blake looked to the screen, flinching when Motodrone's face, once again, appeared on their computer screens.

"Tsk, tsk rangers, it seems like you guys are down to half of your team." His voice was oozing with false sympathy. "As I'm sure you have noticed, Tori is doing rather, rather poorly." He made a fake face of sympathy. "This device is draining her life energy and before too long, she will die." He laughed. "Catch me if you can." He was taunting them, daring them to come and find him as the screens turned back to the pages that Cam had had pulled up before.

"We're going to catch you and you're going to regret ever hearing of the Power Rangers." Hunter growled, storming from the building. The other three boys flinched when they heard the loud scream of anger and pain, but they knew that he needed to let out all of the frustration that had built up inside.

"Cam." The hoarse voice came spoke up, causing Shane and Cam to jump and run towards Dustin, who was starting to try to push himself up into a sitting position. He winced as the pain increased in his head. "Wh-what happened?"

"Motodrone tried to strangle you." Cam said as he looked carefully into Dustin's eyes. "How do you feel?" The bruises on his neck had turned into a mottled collection of colors.

"Like a eighteen wheeler ran over me, then backed up and ran me over again." He gave a half-smile, his voice was still raspy, but he pulled the oxygen mask off of his face. "I'm good." He said, offering the mask to Cam, who took it and placed it on the table next to Dustin. "What about To-" His voice died in his throat when he laid eyes on Tori.

"Sh-She's hanging in here." Cam looked at Tori. She had progressively gotten paler, her hair was matted to her face in sweat and her hands were still trembling.

"Have you found Motodrone yet?" Dustin asked, carefully touching his fingers to his neck, feeling the damage with a pained expression on his face.

"We're still looking." Cam hated that he didn't have any better news for Dustin. Dustin tried to look understanding, but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes. "We're going to hunt him down."

"Can I lay next to Tori?" Dustin looked up at Cam with pleading eyes. Cam nodded and waved Shane over. Together they lifted the bed and placed it on the other side of Tori. Blake had let his eyes flutter shut, his hand covering Tori's cold hand.

"How did this happen?" Dustin said in a desolate tone as he looked at Tori. If they didn't take Motodrone out, they would be a five member team permanently.

Again, I am terribly sorry! A little more than 48 hours, I really thought it uploaded the first go round.

So I'm thinking of doing a story for either Mystic Force or Samurai. It'll be a two-shot, not a tragedy, but there will be angst... sense a trend there? Anyway, any suggestions?

Finally, this is unbeta-ed, like most of my stuff, so I personally apologize for all grammar and spelling mistakes!


	9. Out of Time

**A/N**: Thank you for all the feedback! It was much appreciated! If it wasn't obvious, this story was drifting further and further away from my mind. But, I got a review recently and I just decided I would update this! Thanks for the motivating review! :)

* * *

"Tori, Tori, please, just hang on. We're going to find Motodrone." Blake was close to tears, pleading with Tori, not able to touch her as her body jerked uncontrollably. Small noises of pain emerged from her throat, even though her eyes remained tightly shut. Blake would give anything to take her place. She didn't deserve this. The seizures were coming faster and faster, and the physical toll it was taking on Tori was incredible. Tori had aged decades in the last few hours and Cam was getting even more worried that there would be permanent damage. Everyone could see that she was about to be out of time and they needed to find Motodrone now and destroy this device so that Tori could start recovering.

"Anything yet?" Shane was pacing back and forth behind Cam's chair. His hands were shaking with anticipation and fear. He was going to rip Motodrone into tiny pieces. Tori didn't deserve this pain, no one did. The only person he would put this pain on would be Motodrone.

"No, he's bouncing his location so fast I'm struggling to keep up." Cam was typing furiously, his eyes never leaving the screen and his fingers flying over the keys. His lips were pursed tightly together. He had always considered himself in tune with computers, but whatever Motodrone was using was more advanced than Cam had ever seen.

"I am going to rip Motodrone into small pieces." Hunter growled. His hand was draped over Blake's shoulder, carefully avoiding the deep gouges on his back that still were slightly raw. His body seemed to not heal

"Get in line." Shane willed himself not to lash out with his fist at the wall. He wanted his sister to wake up and for everything to be okay. Even in his worst nightmare, he had never imagined a more painful end for his sister. It broke his heart just watching it!

"He's just, he's gone. His signal is completely gone." Cam threw his hands up in frustration. All of the work he had just put into tracking Motodrone was gone. Motodrone was off the grid and he could be anywhere. It was a scary thought. They were not prepared if Motodrone came here or if he started to attack the city.

"What do you mean, gone?" Shane asked, peering over Cam's shoulder, but nothing made any more sense on the screen than it had five minutes ago. Cam's hands were flying over the keys, but from the expression on his face, the news wasn't good.

"Motodrone just completely erased his signal." Cam curled his hands into fists, trying not to give into the temptation to punch the screen. It wouldn't make anything better and would probably do more damage to him, than anything. He just didn't know what to do and not knowing what to do was incredibly scary to him, especially when Tori's life was hanging in the balance.

"Tori!" Blake's voice sounded tortured. Tori's back arched as her fists curled into fists. The tremors started in her legs, her toes curled under, trying to force the pain out of her legs. Isn't there anything that you can do?" His voice was desperate. He didn't know much more she could stand.

"I don't know what to do." Cam tried to fight the hysteria that was rising in him. He just wanted to Tori to sit up and tell him what he should do. He needed her to be alright. He felt like he couldn't function with her like that.

"You miserable brats can't even track a signal." Motodrone's face popped up on the screens, causing everyone to jolt in alarm and surprise. The boys jumped to their feet, too shocked to take another step forward.

"What the hell did you do to Tori!" Shane screamed at the screen. He couldn't stand watching Tori suffer any longer. He was going to strangle Motodrone, smash his head into the ground and make him feel some pain.

"Manners red ranger." Motodrone reached out an arm and adjusted the zoom lens on the camera. Shane saw red as the man casually threw his feet up on the desk and laced his fingers behind his head. He had Tori's life in his hands and he was acting like he was just having a friendly chat with someone.

"I'm going to kill you." Shane's voice was a low growl. Hunter and Dustin stepped closer, ready to restrain Shane if necessary. They were just as mad, but destroying the computers wasn't going to help them. Motodrone could be anywhere and this would have

"I have a deal for you." Motodrone said as he kept up the casual act. He knew he had the upper hand over the rangers. Motodrone had crippled them as a team.

"What do you want?" Shane spit out. He hated that they would most likely be forced to comply.

"You turn over your morphers and I will give you this device." Motodrone held out his wrist tauntingly. The device that was torturing Tori was attached to his wrist. Shane couldn't wait until he ripped it from Motodrone's wrist and stomped it into a million pieces. If he could reach through the screen, he would pull Motodrone through the screen and beat him until Motodrone would wish for death.

"We can't do that." Shane knew they couldn't just turn over their morphers and not be rangers. He was trying really hard to not to completely lose it. The rest of the team needed him to be a leader, someone who was at least trying to make the right decision. He wanted Tori to be okay, but walking away from protecting the city and leaving everyone vulnerable wasn't really an option either.

"Yes, or Tori will die, slowly." Motodrone laughed. "I will give you ten minutes to think about it. I will contact you then." Motodrone leaned forward and then he was gone. It was like he possessed some magical powers that allowed him to get in and out of the system without allowing Cam to see him. Cam had tried every trick that he knew, but it was like Motodrone had read his mind and knew exactly what Cam was going to try and had blocked them.

"We have to save Tori." Dustin said as he looked at Tori. His morpher felt like it was an extension of his body, but he was willing to do whatever it took to save Tori. He loved being a ranger and it was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him, but Tori was his sister and his best friend. "I'll give my morpher up."

"Me too." Shane said quietly from where he had sat down next to the entrance. It was like the anger he felt before had sucked out all of his energy.

"You can't just give your powers up." Cam protested, almost before he knew the words had left his mouth. "We have to find another way." He looked around the room, but nothing new had appeared. He had no clue what to do.

"We don't have time to find another way." Shane said from where he was slumped against the doorway. "We'll figure it out." Shane wished that this was just the worst nightmare he had ever had and he was about to wake up. He just wanted for Tori to be okay and for them to be able to take Motodrone out, even if they had to give up their morphers.

"I would rather never be a ranger again than lose Tori." Dustin winced as he sat up taller, his eyes still on Tori. "If we don't have anything figured out in ten minutes, I will surrender my morpher." He looked the rest of the rangers in the eye, daring them to argue with him.

"I will too." Hunter looked at his brother. "Family comes first." They had been training their whole lives to become rangers, but it wasn't worth Tori dying. Life was more important. Blake loved her and that was a good enough reason for Hunter.

"Handing over our powers would leave us helpless. Motodrone would be able to take over the whole world in a matter of hours." Cam looked down desolately. This was the most impossible choice he had ever been asked to make. He didn't want to watch his sister die, but they all had a duty to keep the world safe and peaceful.

"If we don't, Tori will die." Shane knew that Cam was trying to think of the team, but he just wanted Tori to be okay. It was more important than them as rangers.

"I don't know what to do." Cam wanted to go back to when he was a little child and have a temper tantrum. He looked at the clock. They were quickly running out of time. They weren't any closer for the cure and it could all end so badly, they would never recover.

* * *

Wow this is getting longer than I expected! (I really am not proud of this chapter!)


End file.
